What's new, and, well, natural from the Naturalkids Team on Etsy

Welcome! I continue my trek backwards through the alphabet to bring to you the most wonderful and imaginative treasures. They are all handmade with natural materials from...yes! the NaturalKids Team on Etsy! This week, we feature wonderful variety of artist from who have one thing in common - they all work with natural materials.


Babus - From teethers to felted dolls, everything you see in this shop is made with love and by hand by Michelle in Silver Spring, Maryland. Michelle says,"Using sustainably produced wool yarns, I knit and wet felt all my toys to make them fuzzy, warm, sweet and enduring."

Here is her Original Baby Chain Wool Felt Toy.

AshperJasper's Vicky is an artist/homeschooling Mum (to Asher and Jasper) living in Southern California. Originally from England, she moved here after falling in love with a young American artist on a painting trip to Italy. Her husband has been contributing wooden toys to her store for about a year. Vicky says,"I love that we can work creatively together again! I have to admit that I am a wool addict. I LOVE the stuff. We are a family floating in a sea of wool and wood at all times." They offer natural wood and wool toys and accessories. Here most recent post to her Etsy shop is an invitation for you to begin felting with her Deluxe Needle Felting Starker Kit for Beginners.

Armadilo Dreams is a husband/wife shop run by Dustin and Amanda. They live in Central Oregon. They say, "We combined our love for our children, natural materials, woodworking and Armadillo Dreams was born! Together we make an awesome team and love to work together as a family." Here is their Rainbow Birdie and Wooden Egg - Toy Play Set.

Those are the featured new items for this week. What a rainbow of delightful treasures from one of a kind felted baby toys, to felting starter kits to lovely wooden toys! All are made from natural materials and from the hands of folks who love nature, children, and open ended toys. This is just a small sample of the quality and variety our customers enjoy from the fine crafters and artists of the NaturalKids team.

Thanks for joining us this week and please do return again next Monday as we continue to feature all the wonderful members of the Naturakids team on Etsy! Til then, I invite you to browse all our wonderful shops.

Warmly,
Rebecca aka Nushkie
Nushkie on Facebook

Make your own linen freshener (from your garden)

Today's all-natural tutorial is by Luisa of DanceInMyGarden, her Etsy shop stocked with beautiful flag buntings, and much more. Gardens in Luisa's home of Australia are in full bloom, while ours in more northern climates are just getting underway. Now we know what we'll need to plant this spring to use in our linen fresheners!

How to make your own linen freshener from your garden

You can use this laundry freshener in any room of course,
it has a fresh green herbacous scent, and is fun to make with the kids.
You will need 3 things from your garden, and 2 ingredients from your kitchen pantry.
So here it is...


You will need some lavender


some rosemary


bay leaves


Dry out the leaves and lavender heads, and crush them up in your hands.


Then you need to add some rock salt, and whole black pepper.
You don't need lots and lots, just a couple of tablespoons of each.
The quantity isn't important, just wing it.
And buy some cheap rock salt, don't use your expensive organic salt, like I have done!


Find a nice bowl to put the pot pourri into and voila! You are done.
Now, wasn't that easy peasy?
If you want you can also add a little orris root powder as a fixative, but I didn't.


Sweet smelling linen and towels.


Bag up the rest, and save for later, or give-away little bundles wrapped in muslin.

Oh, every now and then, when you go into your laundry cupboard to pick up a fresh item, and you see your little bowl, remember to crush the dried leaves to release their scent.
You could also add some drops of essentials oils of lavender, rosemary, to make it smell a bit stronger, and it will last a lot longer.

What's in DanceInMyGarden's handmade shop? Here's a beautiful bunting, perfect for ushering in spring to our backyards!

Blossoms for Birds.

Hi, I'm Donni from The Magic Onions Blog. My shop is Fairyfolk.

Here in Southern California, Spring has definitely arrived! Our nights are cool, our mornings are crisp and our days are warm and sunny... it's lovely weather, my favorite time of the year. The squirrels come out, the jasmine blooms and the birds start collecting treasures to build their nests with.

We have a spring tradition that we call 'Blossoms for Birds'. Each year as Spring approaches and we start to notice the birds building their nests, we decorate a bare tree branch with lovely soft wool for them. We find a branch.

Saw it to the right length for little people to reach even the top branches.
And then we put the bare branch in a spot in the garden, just beyond our deck, where we can watch it from our dining room. It's best to put the branch in a visible place, somewhere where you can watch it, undetected by the outside creatures.
Collect a basket of spring-colored wool scraps. I let K choose any color she wanted from my precious stash.
Decorate the bare tree with the wool, winding it around the branches and twigs.
Timone, our squirrel, came to see what we were doing.
She caused great distress by climbing down our Blossoms for Birds tree, nearly knocking it over and making K very angry... "This is for the BIRDS, Timone!" K scolded.
We were able to placate her with a few nuts while we finished decorating our wool tree.
It looks so pretty, covered in colorful tufts of wool, however, a pretty tree is not why we made our Blossoms for Birds Tree... it's for the birds to build their nests with!
All Spring long, we'll watch from our dining room table as the neighborhood birds are attracted to the colorful wool. They'll twitter about in a frenzy of excitement at the lovely soft wool they've found. They'll take a colorful bundle in their beak and fly off with it to build their nests. Just imagine what their nests will look like... pink, blue yellow... so pretty and soft for the sweet little baby birds.For more nature-inspired children's activities, visit my blog The Magic Onions.

Blessings and magic!

Natural Family Living

Sitting outside today, I found myself wondering what I would write about natural family living. My fingers sifted through the soil, I was planting seeds with my children. Our baby Orion toddled around in the grass while his brother picked up rocks and drove them around in his dump truck. My daughters squabbled mildly over who would do what and when with the pots and soil and seeds and all the while the sun shone down on us and the sweet smelling breeze tickled your neck - one of those beautiful Oregon spring days. I realized then, sitting on a mound of earth with my children and enjoying a moment in nature with my family, that this was exactly the kind of living I was grasping at straws to write a story about. The things that we do, those small choices that we make in our own little families are what create the communities that we are a part of. Connecting with the earth and making natural and sustainable choices is part of a daily impact that we make. The way that we spend our time and what we choose to set as an example is in our behavior. I know that every time I wrap Orion in a soft cloth diaper instead of a crinkly plastic 'disposable' I am teaching natural family living: instilling the value by living the choice. From the smallest seed to the biggest tree, choosing to live naturally is a way of life and every decision we make adds up to a whole lot for our own family, the community that we are connected to, the future of our children and of our earth. Every touch of a natural fiber educates us, it acclimates us to what is acceptable to be around us. So every time we expose a child to a wooden truck instead of a plastic car, a wool felted ball or a soft cloth doll, we are teaching a valuable lesson in living naturally. Hopefully by these small choices and changes we will continue to create healthy families and a healthy planet for them to live in and that is natural family living at it's best. Many Blessings Families, Alyssa of Codilollyskye

Food For Thought

So did you guess where last week's quote came from ? Of course, it was from a shop I love dearly: the http://www.singingbird.etsy.com/ shop profile!

Here is a new riddle for you: What team member felted the delicous food items you see here? Write to me and if you get the correct answer you will be entered in a drawing for one of my Wee Pocketdolls! =)

One comment I received after posting last Wednesday gave me Food For Thought for this week.

Mary Richmond wrote:

"the single biggest thing moms can do to be green is pack green lunches, stop buying individual water bottles and snacks and recycle at home. OK, that's not a single thing but they're all related. i invite you to look at all the wrappers and containers that your family uses and disposes of every day.....as someone who works with kids every day I'm appalled at the waste otherwise smart families send to school every day.....use reusable containers for everything, use a Brita filter, use cloth napkins and real utensils (buy at thrift shops or yard sales so you don't lose your good ones but kids are surprisingly good at this....) and make your own snacks....

So I did take a serious look at what and how I pack my kids' lunches. All in all I think I am not doing too badly. We do use a Brita filter and refillable water bottles. We definitely stay away from those frightening "Lunch ables". A cracker, a small container of ketchup, and some cheese wrapped in plastic. Who in the world came up with that idea? Very little food and lots of trash for more money. But oh so convenient...

I make the children sandwiches or quesadillas, with a side of fresh fruit and vegetables. Takes about 15 minutes. You can put them in boring Tupperware containers or you could use one these cool lunch wraps by http://www.gopita.etsy.com/

Wow, isn't that pretty? What a great idea! I have to get some for the children and husband. Just imagine opening your lunchbox and looking at that instead of some ugly cardboard box...Makes me hungry just to look at that wrapper!

And then of course, there is always the possibility to choose snacks that have a natural wrapper: how about bananas, oranges, and apples?

Have a great week, and enjoy many healthy snacks!

Ulla

http://www.germandolls.etsy.com/

Simple Steps to Save the Planet

"The other day, as I was browsing a fellow team member's profile, I stumbled upon the following phrase:

"Part of the example we are teaching our children is that we must live in a way that respects and honors all life, especially our home, Mother Earth. We've chosen to drive a hybrid car and have installed solar panels on our roof as a way to begin this. We frequently use recycled materials when packing and shipping items to further support our "green" efforts. We have a long way to go to living more sustainably, but every step each one of us takes is a positive change toward our collective future. Thank you for supporting our efforts with your purchases!"

You all may guess at who wrote it. I loved it, and it has stuck in my head all week.

So I make and promote toys out of natural materials. Toys that won't pollute and if they should ever break will not sit in a landfill for gazillions of years. It is my mission to convince people that "Happy Meal " toys, and plastic toys in general, are bad for our planet.

But what can I do besides that? I often worry about how to lead my life in the way the author above describes. What other steps can I take to help the planet? How do I teach the children the kind of respect described by my friend? Not everybody can afford to purchase a hybrid car or have solar panels installed. But there are so many small things in our every day life, small changes, that we can make to live a greener life style and waste less resources.

One example that comes to mind is plastic grocery bags. I remember reading that the City of San Francisco has actually outlawed them. Unfortunately it is not that way in the small US city where I live. The majority of people waste between 3-10 plastic grocery bags per store visit. Whenever I go grocery shopping, I bring grocery bags with me. I carry them in my car. Wow, they even give you money for each bag you bring! Who would have ever thought that? In Germany YOU PAY the grocery store for every bag YOU WASTE ! Didn't you know that you were out to shop that day?

But there are many other ways to safe resources and energy. One phenomena I find rather intriguing, is the fact that nobody in US appears to dry their clothes other than by using an electric dryer. Or is it just here in Colorado? Please, correct me if I am wrong! But I have never seen an outdoor clothes line in this town, nor anywhere else used in this nation. Wow, it is so simple that it blows my mind! How come people would never think of it, living in a place where the sun shines almost every day?

And there are so many benefits to doing it besides the BIG one of SAVING ENERGY!

1. Your clothes get less wrinkled. Hang them up, right after you washed them, and you will not have to waste your time ironing them , wasting more energy...

2. Your clothes smell so good and fresh, and get bleached naturally - by THE SUN! You’d be amazed how tough a stain it can handle...

3. Plus, as an extra bonus, your clothes will last so much longer because they don’t get ripped to shreds being violently spun around by an electric dryer.

4. Hey, and it's good exercise too. Who needs a trip to the gym when you can carry a couple of loads up from the basement and work those legs and biceps...=) The children enjoy helping with it. My daughter things it is so much fun!

I admit, in Winter time, I find it a bit more challenging. Who likes to wade through 3 feet of snow to hang up clothing. But I have an indoor clothes line for the basement I brought from Germany. Unfortunately it only holds half of a load. I have not been able to find one standard item used in every German household: A giant metal foldout clothes drying rack that can hold an entire load of clothing. Forget those scimpy little ones they sell here. They collapse with one pair of Blue Jeans. Please, if anyone here knows where in US to purchase a decent drying rack I’d be eternally grateful!

My family does drive a hybrid car. We carpool to school all the time. My husband walks to work. I work at home. We recycle glass, paper, cardboard, and plastics. We share a trashcan with the neighbors because we don't have much trash. My son loves to earn money by collecting aluminum cans at parties...We have not been able to afford solar panels for our house...but I hope that the day until we have them is not too far away. I hope that by setting a good example to the children I am making progress and doing my part respecting our planet and saving it for future generations to enjoy!

Have a "green" Day! Remember to take those shopping bags with you.

And please, if you have any other great ideas on how to safe energy let me know! Maybe I can write about it next week!

Ulla

http://www.germandolls.etsy.com/